Handheld Learning Forum

A bit of scoop for Handheld Learning - download an official datasheet pdf (1.2Mb) of the new LifeDrive, by all accounts a spanking machine and I must have one!

(http://www.handheldlearning.co.uk/pdfs/lifedrive.jpg) (http://www.handheldlearning.co.uk/pdfs/BrahmaDatasheet.pdf)

download and view datasheet here (http://www.palmone.com/us/products/mobilemanagers/lifedrive/pdf/LifeDrive_datasheet.pdf) (1.2Mb)

visit the handheld learning main site here (http://www.handheldlearning.co.uk/)

buy a LifeDrive in our shop (http://www.handheldlearning.co.uk/component/option,com_phpshop/page,shop.browse/category_id,1/option,com_phpshop/Itemid,47/)  :)

oh, and please after you've downloaded and had a look please come back and let us know what you think!

I'm thinking about all the rich media applications, use of sound and video etc that a hard disc will bring. Maybe an "iPod for the Mind" afterall.

I hope it's not too expensive, if it's less than an iPod then it's going to get interesting out there in my view ;)

yippee, can we now talk about  palmcasting or lifecasting instead of !£"$!%$! podcasting!!!

:-)

Something that also occurs to me is that as a software publisher I can distribute and deliver rich media applications on a cheap to manufacture medium such as CD-ROM rather than SD Cards which the user of a LifeDrive can then upload iPod stylee.

Nice ;)

Sounds very interesting.

The indicative suite of applications would be very useful for surveyors & the like to capture data and send it to base in real time.

Now just to persuade the IT manager that it is not a major security risk...........

LifeDrive could be an all-purpose device for teaching. I guess especially for high school/university students where a wireless net is available.

My question to all: How many schools at secondary level use a wireless net on their campus? Our IT managers reject it because of security risks.

What I like is the File Management - more comfortable than FileZ or Launchers.

I couldn't find the USB 2.0 connector on the device. Did I miss it?

Petra

I presume, at least I hope so, that the fact this is a hard-disk based device doesn't increase the time to "boot" up this device.  That off course, one of the main attractions to handheld computers over laptops.  I my be confessing a bit about my age here, but if it takes more than 5 seconds to boot, I run the risk of forgetting the thought which inspired me to turn it on!   ---Saulman

Maybe as long as it takes an iPod to start-up?

Does anyone want to buy my iPod, I think I'd like one of these instead if they did them in pink  ;)

Its part of the MultiConnector.   PalmOne have moved towards using a special connector (rather like phones)  ensuring you will need to buy yet another cable if you want to sync via a cable or you could sync over Wireless and reduce your battery life even more...

At least with a standard USB connector you could be fairly sure of being able to connect to a machine if you were away from base, it was also handy to trickle charge your PDA. ( without having to carry a suitcase full of adapters/chargers etc...just in case you needed them)

I am not sure if the multiconnector is the same as the one they have used on the Treo 650...Probably not, as that would imply Palm had actually put some thought into it......

I bet the power connector is a non-standard size as well :-)

But the device does raise some questions, not least
How much RAM?, Whats the battery life?

So its a PDA with lots of storage, but how are we going to manage that storage, whats the file structure going to be like, how we will navigate it? Have Palm actually thought about any of this, does the solution scale when you have * LOTS*  of files?

and with that much storage and the increased likleyhood of you carrying some really important things on it, what security measure are there?

I wonder if this USB will be useful so that you can plug in to other USB devices such as printers, scanners, input devices, etc?


Jon are you having a bad Palm day?



Wouldn't it be reasonable to imagine that battery life and security would be in the same range as an iPod?

I wonder if it has a detachable battery like the Treo 650? But if not there will no doubt be a 3rd party external power jacket to make the LifeDrive a bit porky.
 
Given that it's being pitched as "Mobile Media Manager" presumably it's just that, a tool that allows you to take some of your media away from your desktop in the same way you use iTunes on your desktop to sync with your iPod (I have around 3,000 files on my iPod to navigate). I would imagine that this is a more likely mode of use of the LifeDrive than using it as a replacement laptop, although with a bluetooth keyboard and landscape orientation that's not beyond reason and clearly students will want to use the device as a capture device to bring stuff back and upload it to a PC or network server.

I expect that Mark/Space (of missing sync fame) is already working on the iTunes/iPhoto/iMovie syncing suite.

LifeDrive is a bit of a rubbish name though  ;)

Re Bad Palm Day... Generallly a bad PDA, hassled by both PocketPC and PalmOS :-)

As for battery life, I suspect the screen size and backlight both eat the power more than an iPods, but ...would still like to get my hands on one to see what its actually like....

and it really is a terrible name!

The LifeDrive is now featured on PalmOne's US web site for a selling price of US $499

http://www.palmone.com/us/products/mobilemanagers/lifedrive/

Authorised (not grey import) UK specification LifeDrive's will be available from Handheld Learning to UK customers as soon as stocks arrive in the UK which will be about one month. Keep checking our online shop (http://www.handheldlearning.co.uk/component/option,com_phpshop/Itemid,47/) or email/call to reserve your order  ;)

or as Fred Pontin would say "Book Early!"

(http://www.handheldlearning.co.uk/graf/fred_pontin.jpg)